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Featured Contributor Jennifer Graham
The Kind of Soul Support We All Need!
by Jennifer Graham
Ever since my son Mark was a baby, I've been aware of a mystical bond among parents of children with disabilities. When he was just a few months old and I was sure no one "could tell" that he had been born with Down syndrome, other mothers pushing their strollers along the boardwalk would stop us to say, "Oh, how old is he? Is he healthy? And how are you doing?" And then I would see that their beautiful child also had Down syndrome. These strangers were among my first "soul supporters."
How wonderful that now we can reach out to one another in the real world and in this new virtual world to support one another in sharing the blessings and meeting the challenges of raising our children.
I'm one of the older moms now. Mark is 22, graduated from high school last year and works at two part-time jobs in the community. His transition from special education to adulthood led to a transition in my writing career. For the past five years, I've focused much of my writing on the myriad challenges of leaving high school and entering the real world. In this space, I'll be sharing our experiences - yours and mine - as we older and wiser parents send our kids into the real world with many hopes and dreams. Not all of their dreams are fulfilled but when we let the world know that our young adult children are ready to live and work alongside our neighbors, good things begin to happen.
I want to hear from you about the little miracles that make life good, and about the frustrating roadblocks that make life challenging. What are your teenagers and young adult children dreaming about and doing now? What innovative programs have you found? What is your vision of your child's future? By sharing our stories, we'll learn about new opportunities while supporting each other and our kids.
I was on the boardwalk in Ocean City NJ again yesterday with Mark and his buddy Joe.
But this time, no one stopped me to commiserate or to ask how he was doing. Instead, as these two friends give high fives to one another over winning arcade games, several passersby looked at the guys, caught my eye and smiled into my soul. Just regular folks smiling at Mark and Joe - now that's the kind of soul support we all need!
by Jennifer Graham
Ever since my son Mark was a baby, I've been aware of a mystical bond among parents of children with disabilities. When he was just a few months old and I was sure no one "could tell" that he had been born with Down syndrome, other mothers pushing their strollers along the boardwalk would stop us to say, "Oh, how old is he? Is he healthy? And how are you doing?" And then I would see that their beautiful child also had Down syndrome. These strangers were among my first "soul supporters."
How wonderful that now we can reach out to one another in the real world and in this new virtual world to support one another in sharing the blessings and meeting the challenges of raising our children.
I'm one of the older moms now. Mark is 22, graduated from high school last year and works at two part-time jobs in the community. His transition from special education to adulthood led to a transition in my writing career. For the past five years, I've focused much of my writing on the myriad challenges of leaving high school and entering the real world. In this space, I'll be sharing our experiences - yours and mine - as we older and wiser parents send our kids into the real world with many hopes and dreams. Not all of their dreams are fulfilled but when we let the world know that our young adult children are ready to live and work alongside our neighbors, good things begin to happen.
I want to hear from you about the little miracles that make life good, and about the frustrating roadblocks that make life challenging. What are your teenagers and young adult children dreaming about and doing now? What innovative programs have you found? What is your vision of your child's future? By sharing our stories, we'll learn about new opportunities while supporting each other and our kids.
I was on the boardwalk in Ocean City NJ again yesterday with Mark and his buddy Joe.
But this time, no one stopped me to commiserate or to ask how he was doing. Instead, as these two friends give high fives to one another over winning arcade games, several passersby looked at the guys, caught my eye and smiled into my soul. Just regular folks smiling at Mark and Joe - now that's the kind of soul support we all need!
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Jennifer M. Graham, mother of four unique kids, has written about the inspiring abilities of individuals with intellectual disabilities for twenty years. Her articles have appeared in national and regional magazines, and the anthology, You Will Dream New Dreams. She is the founder of onTRACK Transition Advisors and coaches parents and professionals on navigating the transition maze from special education to adult life in the community. Contact her at jenniferg@soulsupporter.com. |
